Archive for m1911

This list of weapons article takes a look at military surplus weapons that are used on the battlefield today.

Modern Hand Firearms – The early muskets evolved into the modern hand firearms we have today. Muskets were smoothbore (a smooth inside of the barrels), which sometimes caused the bullets to tumble and be inaccurate. Modern hand firearms are made with rifled barrels, which have grooves on the inside and improve the firearms’ accuracy. It was in the 19th century that rifled barrels became commonplace.

Firearms have come a long way since the first rifled-barrel guns were made. We now have fully- and semi-automatic guns, pistols and rifles, and submachine guns and shotguns. The pistol that has been produced more than any other is probably the M1911 pistol. It was the standard firearm for the US military up until the 1990s. One of the military’s favorite automatic firearms is the M16, a variant of the AR15 (check out this AR15 Builder to design your own automatic rifle). Other weapons that fall under the category of firearms include rocket launchers and grenade launchers, but there are several others that are not included in this list of weapons. Firearms are constantly being modified for improvements. It will be exciting to see what the future holds for firearms (we’ll have a futuristic list of weapons soon).

Missiles – Propelling explosives through the use of combustion goes back to the use of gunpowder by the Chinese. But it was not until the 20th century that missiles as we know them were used. The first guided missile to be used in battle was the German’s V-1, when it was fired upon London in 1944 during World War II. After the war, other countries, including the US, began developing their own missiles.

Missiles make this list of weapons because they are often the primary weapon used on military vehicles. Almost all US military aircraft design for combat have some form of weaponized missile (the ones that don’t have bombs instead). The F-22 fighter jet is armed with six AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, and the new F-35 lightning will be armed with either the same missiles as the F-22’s or AIM-132 AMRAAM missiles. Missiles are also fired from battleships and from stationary launching pads. There are many different categories of missiles, such as air-to-air, ground-to-air, anti-tank, ant-aircraft, and anti-satellite. We’d love to go into more detail about these awesome and powerful weapons, but this list of weapons is just to give a short description of each weapon featured.

Hand Grenade – The hand grenade comes in very handy for soldiers in tough situations. Because of its wide range of effectiveness, it does not require its thrower to have perfect accuracy. There are several types of hand grenades out there. Fragmentation grenades (or “frag” grenades) are the most common, and the one used by the US is designated the M67 grenade. Frag grenades spew shrapnel upon explosion in order to achieve maximum damage. A concussion grenade is designed to harm enemies solely from its explosive force. Smoke grenades are frequently used to mark locations. Incendiary grenades produce a harmful gas that can cause serious burns. Again, since this is a list of weapons, we can’t go into detail about every type of grenade.

Military surplus guns are one of the least popular items purchased in terms of military surplus. When you think of military surplus, camouflage, helmets, and backpacks probably come to mind. But what you might not know is that there is a huge supply of military surplus guns available for purchase.

Most equipment that the military uses is sold retail and also after being actually used by soldiers. Items that this is true for include uniforms, boots, helmets, backpacks, and belts. The difference between these items and military surplus guns is that some guns are available only after they have been used by the military.

Did you know that you can purchase guns that were made as early as during World War I? Older military surplus guns are tougher to come by these days, as collectors are snatching them up, not letting them see another owner ever again. But one military surplus gun used during World War I that is readily available is the M1911. This pistol was the standard issue sidearm for the U.S. military for over 70 years!

M4 Carbine

There are also many military surplus guns used in later wars for sale today. One such gun is the M60 machine gun. This 7.62-caliber gun uses the popular belt of ammunition, and can fire up to 600 rounds per minute. This gun continues to be used in the military, but is in the process of being replaced.

One newer firearm that is popular among military surplus guns is the M4 Carbine. Coming from the family of AR15’s and M16’s, this assault rifle has found its place in the military as one of the most reliable guns. Compared the the M16, the M4 is shorter and lighter, and it has the firing options of semi-automatic and three-round burst. For some ranks of the Marine Corps, the M4 is carried instead of the M9 pistol. To customize your own rifle, click here.

The M4 may be replacing M16’s in some military units, but the M16 remains the most popular assault rifle in the world. With its introduction into the service in 1963, it became a hit among soldiers. It was designed to replace the M1 Garand, a task that the M14 had unsuccessfully accomplished. The biggest advantage the M16 was its lighter weight, and the ability it gave users to carry more ammo (because the ammo was also lighter than that of the M14’s). Like the M4, the M16 came from the family of the AR15.

We hope this gives you an idea of how military surplus guns are staple surplus items, and that several of these are available for the public to purchase. The selection of military surplus guns on the market is much larger than what we’ve mentioned here, so be sure to look for the ones you want. Also, if you’re looking to protect your military surplus gun to keep others from using it, check out this Barska Biometric safe review.

Very few handguns have a history as rich and long as that of the M1911 pistol. As its name suggests, the .45 caliber firearm was introduced in 1911, and was standard issue for all branches of the U.S. military from that year until 1985. The gun was designed by John Browning and was originally only produced by Colt.

The history of the gun’s design stems back to the 1890’s, when there was a call for semi-automatic handguns. This eventually led to the test of six different company’s designs in 1906, with that number being cut to two in 1907. In 1911 Colt’s model beat out its competitor, becoming the sidearm of choice among the military, and given the title “M1911.”

The original M1911 (top) and the modified M1911A1 (bottom).

Changes were made to the original model, with the M1911A1 being released in 1924. Among these changes were a shorter trigger and a longer safety spur above the grip (protection from shock received from the hammer). After these changes were made, the pistol never looked back, so to speak.

The M1911 pistol is among the most used firearms in the history of the U.S. military, with two million models produced, and serving as the the standard issue handgun in the military for 74 years. The gun saw action as an official military firearm in both world wars, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. The gun has also served during the Gulf War, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The gun is currently used only by a limited number of military personnel. Several law enforcement organizations still use the gun, such as L.A.P.D. S.W.A.T. and S.I.S., the FBI, and Delta Force.

So why should you get a M1911 pistol? Well by now, you probably aren’t questioning the gun’s capability or its durability, based upon its long history. The gun is very popular as a concealed carry firearm for defense purposes since it’s so thin. It also has hobby purposes (i.e., target practice, sporting). The gun is attractive to the less-serious marksman due to its simple design and ease of use. There are several accessories available for the M1911 to help you customize the firearm to your liking.

It’s not just real military and law enforcement personnel who have used the M1911 pistol, but also several heroes from well-known blockbuster movies. Among these are Ben Affleck as Captain Rafe Cawley in Pearl Harbor, Arnold Schwarzenegger as a T-800 Terminator in Terminator 2, Tom Hanks as Captain John Miller in Saving Private Ryan, and Adam Baldwin as Jayne in Serenity (a modified M1911).